Unlikely Realizations of Love
by FallingDarkStar
Summary: KagSess Two years have now passed and the group is turned to tormoil. Two halfbreed sisters join the gang and Kagome starts to fall in love after an unlikely visiter saves her life. Will it be a happy ending or will it destroy her?
1. Prologue

Disclaimer I do not own Inuyasha. Most likely never will so you cannot sue me! XD If anyone out there has any clue on how to MAKE them mine then please, feel free to tell me. .

Well, another Inuyasha story for all of you! . I really hope that you enjoy it and if you want to comment on ANYTHING or give me hints on how to improve the story please feel free to tell me so in your reviews or you could email me…but I think you know which one I would prefer. .

**Unlikely Realizations of Love**

**Prologue**

Everything was calm and cool, demons resting without anyone rushing about. But someone was not sleeping in the night. Suddenly, a bright purple light illuminated the woods, bouncing off trees and creating shadows. But then it disappeared just as quickly as it had appeared; seeming as if it were almost never there. Kagome smiled in satisfaction, looking at her piece of work with pride.

"There, your arm is healed now! And it is as good as before. Take a look."

A small boy with ruffled brown hair slowly opened his cinnamon eyes and hesitantly looked at his right hand. His eyes grew wide in astonishment as he found his arm was no longer bleeding nor covered in blood. Less then a minute ago, before the miko Kagome had found him, his arm was drenched in blood and fiercely wounded. Before, he had feared that it might have fallen off without quick treatment.

"Wow, y-you are really as powerful as everyone says you are miko."

Kagome forced a small smile. "Thank you, I'm flattered. But seeing you smile is all that thanks I need." She replied. The young boy stood up off the ground, hugged Kagome, and then ran off toward the direction in which Kagome thought was the village. Kagome turned to her companions and her smile grew slightly bigger.

"Should we continue on our way then?" she asked. Her companions, consisting of the monk Miroku, the demon slayer Sango and her two tailed Kirara, little Shippo the kitsune, and half-demon Inuyasha, nodded in agreement and started to head deeper into the forest.

The young boy that Kagome had helped stared after them as they disappeared from his sight. Slowly, he whispered, "Well, how did I do?"

"Excellent," said a deep and masculine voice from behind him. "She did not even notice who you really were. The Miko may be too kind hearted for her good. We did well today… now let us head back to Master before he becomes impatient." The voice continued, but then touched the little boy's shoulder and suddenly they both disappeared into the darkness.

'Three years, three years and they still cannot call me by my name. Why? Is it too much to ask for to be called by my real name?' Kagome pondered, and walked with Sango behind Inuyasha and Miroku. 'Why is it so damn hard to call me just Kagome?' she continued, looked at the path before her feet with the look of frustration crossing her features.

* * *

Fast paced foot steps echoed the halls as Lord Sesshomaru of the Western Lands walked through them, his thoughts wondering from the rumors he had heard about the powerful miko, and to the situation he was in. He also found himself contemplating how her powers and strengths could be of use to him, but then something else bugged him in his mind. Naraku; Lord Sesshomaru had tried on numerous occasions to kill the damn hanyou himself, but he had always in one way or another, lost to him in battle. Either Naraku would flee in a whirlpool of strong miasma or someone would interfere in the battle and would help him escape. 

His thoughts wondered back to the young miko Kagome as he turned a corner of the hall to make his way to his study. He could not help but let an emotion slip from his façade and show in his eyes. He would never admit it out loud but he felt that for a human, highly educated, and head strong, not to mention skilled with spiritual powers, that she was indeed powerful. Although she was not a warrior like the demon exterminator who had lost her entire family in the hands of Naraku, Kagome had this unusual grace to her movements that said that she could be an unmatched warrior if she wanted to be.

Sesshomaru remembered the first time that he had ever met the young miko Kagome, was the same time he had tried to kill her when Inuyasha retrieved their father's fang. He had thought her to be of no use at all due to the fact that she was a mortal human, but when neither he nor Inuyasha could pull the Tetsuaiga out of its place in the stone, it was she who effortlessly did so.

Sesshomaru opened the doors to his study and sat down on his chair near his desk where a pile of half read scrolls laid. He looked over at the large window that oversaw the enormous garden, where young Rin was currently picking different colored flowers and running around with Jaken close behind her.

Jaken had asked him many times over and over again why on earth he had saved Rin's life from death when she had been attacked by Lord Kouga's wolves. Sesshomaru usually just ignored Jaken, but sometimes he did question himself about that. To tell the truth, he could not explain to Jaken why he had saved Rin because he himself did not know. Now that he actually allowed himself to think of the unknown reason of why he saved Rin, the young girl reminded him of the miko once more.

Rin had the same pure and untainted soul that Kagome possessed, and in both of their eyes you could see brightness and life glowing, secretly telling you to live on. All the humans he had ever encountered were terrified of all demons, small and big, it did not matter the size or how 'cute' they happened to be. Everyone was that way…except for Rin and Kagome…they were different.

Perhaps that is the reason why he saved Rin, because she had reminded him… of Kagome. Kagome was…much different from other humans that he had come across. While they were afraid to stand up for themselves and what they believed, Kagome was not. Sesshomaru admired her stubbornness and pride, and saw why Naraku wanted to eliminate her so badly. Not only was she strong and fearless; she resembled light and hope, both for everyone around her…and herself.

She might be the only one in the world who even had a chance to defeat Naraku now that the dead miko Kikyo had joined forces with that deceitful creature of hell. However, Kagome could not defeat Naraku all by herself and she definitely could not do it with only the help of his hanyou brother, Inuyasha.

Sesshomaru blinked a few times before he growled low in his throat, 'Why in the seven hells do I even care what happens to my damn brother's wench?' He stood up from his chair in his study and walked out of the room as he thought again, 'Is she really my brother's wench? She has been traveling with him for three years now and he has not marked her as his own.'

Lately, the Taiyoukai had found that his dreams had been invaded by images of the young priestess and he had even saved her in them once. There was not a night that went by that he did not either think about her or saw her in his dreams. He growled louder this time as he entered the garden, 'Why do I care!'

"Jaken," he said coldly as he eyed Rin climbing a tree to get some apples.

The ugly toad scrambled to his masters feet. "Y-yes my lord?" he asked as he looked up at his Lord Sesshomaru's expressionless face.

"Take care of Rin in my absence and do not allow her to be hurt in any way. Do I make myself clear?"

Jaken gulped loudly at the well heard threat, "W-where will you be going my lord?"

"That is none of your concern, Jaken. Just do as I say," said Sesshomaru as he slowly lifted himself from the ground and into the air. Soon, he figured out his way and headed southeast, his thoughts elsewhere as his charge watched him.

* * *

Three years have now passed since Inuyasha and Kagome first began their quest for the Shikon no Tama and aside from Naraku, a new enemy will make their appearance and turn their world into turmoil. 

**So…how did you like the prologue? Please tell me anything you want in your review but try to be nice, k? Any suggestions, feel free to tell me. . starting with chapter 1 they will be longer than three pages, trust me. I just wanted to see if you liked it or not. It will get a lot more interesting as it goes along. Oh yeah, almost forgot, PLEASE REVIEW**


	2. An Unexpected Visit

Three years have passed since Kagome and Inuyasha started their quest for the shards of the Shikon no Tama. Naraku still has most of the jewel fragments, and they had only one at the moment. After visiting Kouga a while back to retrieve his jewel shards, he barked insults at Inuyasha and said that he wouldn't hand them over. Kouga was truly convinced that it was he that would defeat Naraku. So other than Kouga's shards, there were only two jewel shards left to find.

Kagome looked up from the grass and up to the darkening sky. She watched as the sun slowly retreated behind the mountains, creating a sheet of orange and red to flood the sky. She inwardly sighed in relief at its beauty, but was also quite relieved when Inuyasha announced that they would be stopping soon.

Over the long years, much had changed for the group. Sango and Miroku had finally confessed to one another that they loved each other. Kagome smiled, and thought about the possibility of Miroku taking Sango's hand in marriage after Naraku was destroyed. She was very happy that the two had obtained the burning love that they created. It made her heart warm at the thought. But, Miroku and Sango's relationship wasn't the only thing that had changed.

Kagome's attitude hadn't changed; she was still bright and always tried to be honest with everyone. But there was the fact that she didn't fight that often with Inuyasha anymore. Not only that, but her body had matured also. She was about an inch taller, and her raven hair now cascaded at longer lengths; their locks still radiating like before. Her body had changed into the one of a full grown woman too, now that she was at the age of nineteen. But her physical appearance wasn't the only thing that had changed or increased. Her powers, which had enlarged themselves on her eighteenth birthday, now surpassed a certain dead priestess's. And not only that, but some people argued that it was possible they equaled Midoriko's.

So, with this surge of power came more beautiful facial features. Her skin was smooth without blemishes, her eyes were brighter, and the smile she cast could light up the world. And with these changes came the change in her eyes; once a creamy chocolate, they were now a caramel mixed in with an emerald green.

Looking up slightly, she watched Inuyasha's hair swing back and forth as they trudged through the forest. Sighing, she realized the confession she had made to herself. She loved Inuyasha. But, she didn't recognize in what way she did. It was possible that why she could think of him as just a brotherly companion, but she could also be searching for a more intimate relationship. At the moment, her heart felt pity for him, though.

Recently, Kikyo had joined Naraku in the fight for the Shikon jewel shards. While Naraku had most of the jewel, they had only one fragment. And, other than Kouga's shards, there were two that were yet to be found. This caused many a problem. One, Kouga refused to give up his shards. Two, the two shards were yet to be accounted for. And Kagome, with her powers, wasn't allowed to sense them anywhere.

"I think we should camp here for the night, it's already pretty late." Kagome was snapped out her thoughts suddenly, and found her friends were all starting to set there things down and searching for wood.

Kagome walked to a nearby tree and set her bag and bow and arrows down as everyone else put down their weapons and gathered some wood to make a decent sized fire to keep them warm through out the night. She took out her sleeping bag and a blanket for Sango as the boys sat down on the opposite side of the fire and leaned against the trees for support.

Lying on top of the blanket she received, Sango looked over at Kagome as her friend slipped into her sleeping bag. "You did great today, Kagome. You know, I think that you are still getting stronger everyday."

Kagome smiled at Sango; she was always someone that you could talk to about anything. Good _or_ bad. Sango even acted like an older sister to her … and Kagome sometimes did mistake her as her actual sibling.

"Thanks Sango, but I don't think that I was that great. And I don't think there is any possible way I could get any stronger. The last time my powers grew, it was so very painful. And I don't think I could survive if that happened again."

Showing sympathy through her eyes but not through her awkward smile, Sango continued to watch her friend. Sango thought that Kagome could never really hate someone, even if it were Naraku. Somehow, she found the positive side of things and always shared her knowledge. From time to time, the kindness Kagome still held surprised Sango.

"…Everything will be alright, won't it Kagome?"

After thinking about Sango's question, Kagome grinned. "Yeah Sango, everything will be fine, you'll see." She whispered.

Seconds later, Sango was already in a deep sleep. And after Inuyasha and Miroku exchanged a few whispers, they too fell into the same sleep.

Trying to follow their example, Kagome shut her eyes and attempted to enter the dreamscape her friends were in. But, for some reason, she was unable to. She just laid awake, staring at the dancing flames of the fire. And so suddenly did she start to miss her friend Shippo. She remembered the grief torn sobs he cried once he heard that he wouldn't be able to travel with them, for it was to dangerous. Soon, she wished she could see him.

Moments later, Kagome heard the fire suddenly chuckle as a log shifted. Slipping out of her saddened state, she realized that she was still awake. How long, she wondered, was she staring at the fire?

Sighing, she slowly crawled out of her sleeping bag and pulled on her shoes. Careful not to wake the others, especially Inuyasha, she tip-toed outside of the camp area. She came upon the surrounding woods, and felt a slight pinch of freedom. Walking further into the area, the trees suddenly halted and Kagome was surrounded by a large green field. Many yards away, she spotted the hill in the center of the field that she remembered from long ago. Jogging closer, she started to climb up the hill. Careful not to slip and fall and dampen her clothes, she kept an eye about where she put her feet.

After reaching the top, she plopped onto the ground and sighed. Feeling the cool grass beneath her fingers, she began to think once more. And as she did so, a cool breeze swept by and welcomed her to the silence of moonlit flowers and the soft beat of the world. Her shoulders now relaxed and her hair softly playing with the wind, she entered the realm of her thoughts.

For the past month, she had been having this strange feeling that something important was going to take place. Something she had no control over, something she could not avoid. But she knew that whatever it was- was connected to the dreams she had been plagued with recently. The dreams were horrible; she knew this because after every dream she would awake heaving for air accompanied with a cold sweat than ran down her back. Her body shaking, she always tried to remember the dreams that dealt her so much fear.

Usually Kagome was always cheerful and energetic, but this week she felt drained. It almost seemed as if it were draining, leaving only the feeling of helplessness. And with this, she automatically suppressed that feeling along with those of Depression and Anger. She did this because of the dream, she thought; but she also noticed that it could also be because of how other people thought and talked about her. No one ever referred to her as Kagome; but as 'Kikyo's reincarnation', Wench, 'Woman', or a Priestess.

At one point in there travels, Kagome remembered that even Inuyasha referred to her as 'Kikyo'. But soon, he realized through punishment that she was not Kikyo. And if Inuyasha could realize this, then why couldn't anybody else? Sometimes she thought that this was one of the things that resulted in people not wanting her in the feudal era. And despite her kindness and power, people still saw her as invisible; unless they were dying and in need of her assistance. Most of the time it was villagers that acted like this, and even thought wretched things about it; being both powerful and a human.

'_Am I really invisible? I myself don't understand why I have such power, so neither would they. They fear me, and I fear that they always will.'_ Bowing her head, she felt a forgotten memory resurface.

_**Flashback** _

"Kaede! Kaede, Kagome needs your help!" Inuyasha shouted, barging into the hut with Kagome in his arms. Startled, Kaede quickly stood and looked around. Hurriedly, she laid out a blanket and knelt next to it.

"Bring her here!" she rushed, grabbing some nearby herbs along with a few bowls filled with some unknown powder. Rushing to the old priestess's side, she gently placed Kagome down on the blanket. Grabbing a nearby blanket that was still folded, he gently picked up Kagome's head and set the cloth under it.

"What on earth happened to her?" Kaede questioned.

"I have no idea. She just started to writhe in pain, and then her powers suddenly appeared before us and injured bother Kagome and some villagers. Soon passing out, she started to burn with a fever."

Mumbling in her sleep, Kagome coughed and cringed in pain. Pulling at her sweaty clothes, she breathed in deeply before ordering Inuyasha to get her some water. Nodding in affirmation, Inuyasha rushed out the door with a wooden bucket in her hands.

"Kagome? What is the matter? … Kagome?"

A bright purple blanket of power erupted from Kagome's skin, and then tightened itself around her body. Screeching in pain, Kagome tugged at her clothes with tight fists. Reaching forward to try to help Kagome, Kaede was shot against the opposite wall in pain. Staring at the yelping Kagome, her eyes widened as she saw the visible pain she was in.

"Kagome!" cried Kaede, "Kagome! You must control your powers! Kagome! You _must _wake up!"

Kagome could hear Kaede's cries, but she couldn't wake up. She couldn't do anything but scream in pain. Knowing that she wasn't the only one she was hurting, her pain in her heart grew, and tears strolled freely down her cheeks. '_How? Why?_'

"Kagome!" yelled Inuyasha as he entered Kaede's hut. Running to Kagome's side, he tried to touch her face, and the light pulsed once more. Inuyasha was thrown against wall right next to Kaede, only this time he dented the stone walls.

'_Inuyasha? Where are you?'_ Opening her eyes, Kagome couldn't see a thing. _'Where are you? I can't see you anywhere, Inuyasha!' _She swung her head around, searching for Inuyasha wildly and the voice that echoed in her head. Suddenly, there was a bright light that Kagome could now see. Sighing in relief, she rushed towards in with hope.

"Kaede, look! The light around her is fading." The purple light that had engulfed Kagome started to disappear. "Kagome!"

**_End Flashback_ **

She had injured the villagers. She had even hurt Kaede and Inuyasha; and all because of the increase with her powers. When she had finally awoken from her painful sleep, she asked Inuyasha to help her outside to apologize. But once she stepped out of the safety of the hut, she was greeted with disgusting looks and pain. They pelted her with insults, threats, and even came as close to the step of the hut to spit in her face.

Some of the less brave just taunted her, called her many cruel names and shouted out accusations. One person even said that she was trying to earn their trust only to have them slaughtered later on. She tried to defend herself and tell them that everything they said wasn't true, but the moment she tried to speak up, the village attacked her.

Even though her life was in danger, Kagome could not lift a hand to defend herself. And even if she did have her full strength, she couldn't bring herself to hurt or hate the villagers. No matter what they said or did, she wouldn't hate them. And that was when Inuyasha intervened and protected her from becoming unconcious or badly bruised. He safely carried her to the woods, where she could rest and not fear the wrath of the village. But even as she sat down against a tree, Inuyasha interrogated her through and through.

_'Why didn't you do anything, you idiot? They wouda killed you if I hadn't been there to save you! Are you so weak to not even lift a hand? What the hell's the matter with you?'_

She remembered that she had tried not to cry, she tried as hard as she could not to embarrass herself any longer. But soon, the tears soon streamed down her cheeks like a large flowing river, and she screamed 'Sit!'. She had run home that day, back to her own era to get some piece of mind and comfort. What a way to celebrate your eighteenth birthday, huh? And she always wondered- why had it all happened that way? Was it meant to be like that, or was it coincidence?

Kagome buried her head in her knees, with her bangs to shield her eyes.

"I just want to be left alone, I want to disappear," she whispered brokenly.

"I need to stop this," she said suddenly as she wiped her tears away. As she felt another cool breeze slip by, she looked up at the stars longingly. She watching as some of the stars blinked in and out of sight, but gasped when she saw one move. She smiled, closed her eyes and wished on that shooting star.

After a moment of silence with her eyes closed, she slowly looked back at the world she was in. Sighing in content, she re-entered her state of mind. '_Maybe that will make things a little, if that, better for me.'_

Realizing that now she had to head back to camp, she stretched her legs out in front of her and prepared to get up, when she noticed the shadow crawling over her. The shape the figure made was definitely human- or maybe a demon in human form. She thought at first that it was Inuyasha, but after looking up she noticed that it was indeed not her companion.

Standing up and calming turning, she looked at the tall figure that loomed before her. Smiling silently, trying not to intimidate him, she greeted the Lord. "Sesshomaru…"

But quickly noticing the problem she was causing, she wiped the smile of her face and placed an emotionless mask on. Only god knew just how much Kagome wanted to scream; to call out Inuyasha's name so he could save her. But her pride and curiosity had stopped her from doing so. Instead of screaming she simply stood there, staring up at the taiyoukai. Forgetting that she never look into the eyes of a foe, she watched as the amber eyes watched her brown and emerald ones.

Sesshomaru took a step forward and slightly bent down so that his height was even with her own. "Priestess."

Inside, Kagome felt and overwhelming feeling of shock take over her. For once, he had addressed her; and even bent down to her height! But even though she was indeed surprised, another side of her told her to take off and save her life.

'_What does he want? Is he going to kill me? Pull yourself together Kagome, even if he does kill you, at least you know that you won't be eaten! Or will you? But if he had wanted to kill you then wouldn't he have done it already!'_

Minutes seemed to come and go with the light breeze had just passed. But before he spoke again, Kagome lifted her right hand that had begun to glow pink. And then, she slowly retreated it back to her side. But all too suddenly, Sesshomaru grabbed her wrist and glared at her.

"What did you just do, _priestess_?" he asked emotionlessly as he tightened his grip.

Staring at him, she tried not to wince in pain. Somehow thinking that he didn't want to hurt her, she also tired to make it seem like he was powerless against her. Breathing in slowly, she looked into his eyes more deeply, and noticed something that she never thought to have seen before.

**Well? How did you like it? Please give me something constructive to work with in your reviews. If you did not like it tell me why so I know what I can improve to make it better and if you liked it tell me what you would like to see in this story later on in the other chapters. Love you all and please review! **

**FallingDarkStar **


	3. A Troublesome Prophecy

Disclaimer I don't own Inuyasha! --

Here are the people I HAVE to thank! LOL I love you all! Thank you so much for reviewing!

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**Mai**: Meh, I tried to make it longer but I didn't want to take too long in updating my story for you guys. See, it was either put up what I currently had typed up (which I obviously did) or wait another week and half to put up this chapter because I had some EXAMS and two English papers due. You wouldn't want that now would you? LOL I made this one longer to make up for the shortness of the other one. Enjoy! 

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Chapter 2: A Troublesome Prophecy 

Staring at him, she tried not to wince in pain. Somehow thinking that he didn't want to hurt her, she also tired to make it seem like he was powerless against her. Breathing in slowly, she looked into his eyes more deeply, and noticed something that she never thought to have seen before. "I put up a barrier so that Inuyasha will not be ab;e to know you are here and that way i can avoid you two fighting against each other."

She was relived when Sesshoumaru relesed her her wrist and instinctively cradled her wrist with her left hand. Her face said that his hold on her wrist did not hurt her in the least but her hands betrayed her as she lightly rubbed her wrist with her right hand. She bowed her head a little as a wave of disappointment hit her.

'_Sesshoumaru called me miko. He did not even bother to use my name.'_ She wanted to cry outin frustration but the thought of crying quickly passed as anger took her over, '_Just like everyone else,'_ she thought bitterly. '_It feels like i do not even have a real name anymore.'_

Sesshoumaru blinked as he felt her sudden sadness change to anger in a mere second. He could clearly feel all of her emotions, she was hurting so bad that it made him wonder why it was that she was hurting the way she was. '_What could have possibly caused her this much pain?'_ Sesshoumaru mentally slapped himself, '_Stop thinking about the damn miko. she is a mortal ningen!'_ A sudden thought hit him; she was not afraid of him. In all of her emotions, fear was the one that was not even felt. Why? Why was she not afraid of him?

"Are you not afraid that I might kill you, miko?" he asked, trying to intimidate her at least a little.

Kagome shrugged, '_Hell yeah i am scared! I am scared that you are going to kill me because you hate me!' _"If you had come to kill me then you would have probably killed me by now. Unless of course, you needed something from me. So, _Sesshoumaru_, what is it that you want from me?" sheasked fearlessly as she walked closer to him and crossed her arms over her chest as she awaited his answer.

'_Why is this miko so upset? She does have a backbone to be acting that way around me, but she is frustrated. Was it Inuyasha that frustrated her before i came?'_ Sesshoumaru stared into her eyes, his eyes burning with confusion for a moment before they returned to their normal expressionless way.

Kagome lost herself in his bright amber eyes as she thought about what she had told him ans the quick look of cinfusion that had crossed his eyes a moment ago. '_I did not want Sesshoumaru to know how I felt. i was trying so hard not to let him see through my facade and see my emotions but...he saw through me anyways without the slightest bit of effort. I have been keeping my frustrations to myself, not telling anyone how i really felt but...Sesshoumaru seems to understand my pain. Why is that?'_

Sesshoumaru saw the sad and confused look in her eyes even though her face was calm and she still had her arms crossed over her chest. "I could help you strengthen your abilities; teach you how to defend yourself." His came out a little softer then he had intended it to; he silently hoped that she had not noticed the change in his voice.

Kagome was a little taken back by his sudden interest to help her and the softness that it carried, almost understanding, but another small wave of sadness hit her and she inched closer to him. "Do you think that I am weak as well, Sesshoumaru?"

Kagome's sadness was radiating off of her like the waves of an ocean and Sesshoumaru could feel it as if it were his own. He had never guessed that any human could harbor such great sadness. He knew what it was like to be shunned, to be used, even feared for what you were.

His voice came out a little understanding to her situation, but at this point it did not matter all that much. For a second he thought about lying to her, to tell her that she was defenseless and worthless…but that was far from the truth. Aside from that, Sesshoumaru had never told a lie in his entire life and he took pride in that.

Did she even know that Naraku wanted her dead? Did she even have the slightest idea of what she was truly capable of? "No, I do not think that you are defenseless, however, you still have a lot more to learn. If you were as defenseless as everyone seems to think you are, then Naraku would not be wanting your life."

"He wants me dead? Why does Naraku want me dead for?" she asked in complete confusion as her arms unfolded and fell to her sides. Kagome stared into Sesshoumaru's golden orbs, somehow trying to find the answer to her question within them. As Kagome continued up into his eyes, she had to fight off a small blush as she suddenly realized just how close she was to Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru could see just how confused she was about the situation that she found herself in, and he had to admit that the situation had stirred up something deep within himself, but he did not know what it was. He decided to relieve her of her confusion and answer her question. "Naraku want you dead because he fears you, or so I have been told. Naraku is afraid…" Sesshoumaru's voice trailed off as his nose picked up Inuyasha's scent and he quickly looked down at Kagome.

"I will find you again, miko," he said in his usual icy tone and with that, he vanished along with the wind.

Kagome sighed as she let down the barrier she had made assuming that Sesshoumaru had left because he had sensed Inuyasha coming in their direction and, as if on cue, she heard Inuyasha call out her name.

"Kagome?" she turned around to face Inuyasha as she saw him walking towards her. "What are you doing here all by yourself?"

"Nothing much, Inuyasha. I was just…thinking was all," she said with a smile.

"Thinking? Thinking about what? Is something wrong?" he asked with concern as he put his hand on her shoulder. He was really worried about Kagome.

"Oh, n-nothing is wrong, Inuyasha," she said as she out up her hands to convince him that she was telling the truth when in reality, it was nothing but a lie. Everything that was ever anything was wrong.

Kagome found herself wishing that Inuyasha would had stayed asleep until she and Sesshoumaru had finished up their conversation. "Inuyasha, is it okay if I stayed out here by myself for a while longer?"

Inuyasha stared at her quizzically as he thought about her request for a moment. What was wrong with letting her stay up here all by herself a while longer?

Nothing.

He would be close enough to save her if anything happened to go wrong. He did not want to take that chance though. He was about to say 'no' when he looked into her chocolate-green eyes. '_Damn it,'_ he thought to himself before he nodded his head.

"Just while longer. Don't take that long, alright?" Inuyasha turned around and started walking down the hill, leaving a smiling Kagome standing by her self.

Kagome walked back up to the spot she had been sitting earlier before Sesshoumaru showed up and sat back down to look up at the star filled sky. '_I really wonder what Sesshoumaru would have told me about Naraku if Inuyasha had not decided to wake up. I mean, for Sesshoumaru, the Great Lord of the Western Lands, to actually come up to me and start talking about anything must have been really important. I only wish…'_

'_I only wish that Sesshoumaru had stayed a little longer. Just so that the two of us could talk for a while.'_ Kagome stood up and headed back down the grass-covered hill towards Inuyasha and the camp as she dusted her self off.

Wishing is what Kagome had been doing a lot lately. Wishing for things to happen and wishing for things to go away. She even wished that she had never come across the Bone Eater's Well.

'_That was all I needed. An unexpected visit from Sesshoumaru to add onto my already long list of troubles and worries.'_ Kagome sighed as she reached the camp; she once again tiptoed her way to her sleeping bag and slowly crawled inside of it. She thought that she was in the clear but inwardly groaned when she heard Inuyasha's voice.

"Kagome?" he asked softly, careful not to wake Miroku and Sango.

Kagome resisted the urge to sigh and turned on her side to see Inuyasha resting against a tree trunk. "Yeah, what is it, Inuyasha?" she asked, sounding like nothing was bothering her.

"Are you sure you're okay? You've been acting kinda weird lately, Kagome."

Kagome looked into the flames of the fire, watching it as it crackled and danced slowly, as she answered Inuyasha. "I am fine, Inuyasha, really. I am just really tired right now from our long walk today, aren't you?"

Inuyasha nodded his head as he answered Kagome, "Yeah, I'm tired too, Kagome. Let's get some sleep."

Kagome sighed in relief as Inuyasha closed his eyes. She could finally just relax and try to catch up on some of the sleep that she had missed durring the last month.

* * *

Inuyasha walked ahead of the gang as he thought about the night before. '_Kagome's been acting pretty damn strange for the past few weeks but…she hasn't said anything to me about it. She acts like nothin's botherin' her but…'_

He looked back at Kagome from the corner of his golden eye and saw that she had a distant look in her eyes as she looked at the large forest trees as if she were waiting for someone to come for her and take her away.

Inuyasha returned his gaze to the front so he could observe what was in front of him as he continued with his train of thought, trying not to look worried or concerned about anything. _' If she needs my help then I'll be there to give it to her. Just like I always have. I won't have Kagome die like Kikyo; Kagome will not die for as long as I live. I promise you, Kagome, I won't let you down.'_

Inuyasha stared at Kagome from the corner of his eye and noticed that her expression had not changed. She was still looking at the passing scenery as if she were looking for something…or _someone_ and she also looked slightly confused; she was deep in thought.

Inuyasha noticed that, as of late, she wore that sad, confused, and worried expression on her face almost all the time and he did not like her to be troubled the way that she was. He wanted to see her smile happily and have that pure hearted kindness that would radiate off of her like fire. He missed her usual attitude and he wanted her to return to him.

Inuyasha knew that Kagome would get annoyed when he would ask her about the Shikon jewel shards so he did just that; hoping that it would get her back to her normal self if only for a short period of time. "Hey Kagome, do you sense any jewel shards anywhere?" he asked, trying to sound annoyed.

Kagome instantly snapped out of her daze and shook her head as she answered Inuyasha's question, "No. I don't sense anything." She gave Inuyasha a small smile and looked up at the clear blue skies. A light breeze blew her hair lightly around her face and over her shoulders.

Inuyasha felt a little disappointed with the simple answer that she gave him. Usually, that question would get her annoyed and she would tell him that if she did sense something that she would have told him and not to ask her that anymore. This time all he got was a simple answer in a lazy tone of voice.

He decided to give it another try as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Keh, we've been walking around forests and villages for three days straight and you haven't even sensed a single fucking jewel shard yet!" he complained as he walked along side Kagome.

"Well, there are only two shards of the Shikon no Tama left sense Kouga still won't give his up. He can be so stubborn sometimes; he kinda reminds me of you, Inuyasha." Kagome looked up and smiled at Inuyasha.

"Keh, I'm nothing like that mangy wolf! How can you even think to compare me to him? Next time I see him I'm going to rip off his legs just to get the jewel shards." He saw Kagome wave him off and he held in a growl.

"Well, you do act like Kouga sometimes," said Sango, "your ego and attitude are almost exactly the same. Did you really think that tracking down the last two jewel shards were going to be easy? There are only two and they could be _anywhere_ and in _anyone's_ hands for that matter." Sango walked along side Miroku as she carried Kirara in her arms.

Miroku nodded, "Sango is right. That is why we must search _everywhere_ for the sacred jewel shards."

Sango stiffened and blushed a bright crimson as Miroku's lecherous right hand cupped her buttocks and squeezed them gently. A loud bang was heard as Sango hit Miroku across the head with her hirakous. "Keep your hands to yourself you lecherous monk!"

"Yes ma'am," said Miroku as he rubbed his aching head softly with his hands. Miroku sighed in defeat as he looked over at Sango and then looked at Kagome and Inuyasha, " Just be patient, Inuyasha. We will find them eventually. It will just take a bit more effort on our side, right Kagome?" said Miroku with a smile.

Kagome turned her head to the lecherous monk and nodded in agreement, "You guys are both right. We all just have to be patient. The jewel shards will pop up eventually." Kagome resided back into her thoughts and replayed her conversation with the Taiyoukai of the West. She was still very puzzled about his sudden appearance and everything that he had said to her. Kagome blinked sadly when she suddenly realized something.

'_Even Sesshoumaru called me miko. Well, it is not like I expected him to be all nice to me to begin with or anything. After all, it was because of me and Inuyasha that he lost his left arm. It seemed like Sesshoumaru understood everything I felt and was going through. How is that? Maybe I was right about Sesshoumaru all along.' _Kagome looked over at Inuyasha and stared at his back as his hair swayed from side to side in a pattern and then returned her eyes to the forest at her side again.

'_He may act all heartless all the time and pretend that he does not give a damn about anyone but on the inside…on the inside he has a warm beating heart and emotions that he does not want to let out. Maybe all Sesshoumaru needs to open up is a second chance. What other explanation could there be if he has Rin following him everywhere he goes and he protects her?'_

Kagome tore her gaze from the forest trees to Inuyasha who kept on walking up ahead. Kagome smiled warmly when Inuyasha turned to look at her. '_I wonder what Inuyasha would say if he found out that I was all by myself with Sesshoumaru?'_

Kagome looked up at the blue sky and imagined what Inuyasha would say. '_What the hell where you thinking, Kagome? Sesshoumaru could have killed you in cold blood you fucking idiot!'_

Kagome sweat dropped, '_Yep, that certainly sounds like something that Inuyasha would say. I am going to give someone who tried to kill me on more than one occasion a second chance. Not to mention that Inuyasha hates Sesshoumaru._ Sango's voice called Kagome back to Earth.

"Hey, there is a hot spring here. Can we stop for a while? I want to take a long bath." Kagome stopped waking and looked to her left to find a hot spring a few yards away. She could not believe that she missed it, she was usually the one who spotted a hot spring and would ask to stop. She silently thanked Sango for paying attention.

"A bath sounds really ice right now, come to think of it," she said with a smile as she looked at Sango and then at Inuyasha. "Could we stop?" she asked, her eyes pleading and hopeful.

Her face was all Inuyasha needed to see in order to say 'yes.' How could he possibly tell her no when her face looked like that? If a bath was what made her happy then why not let her take a bath? Inuyasha 'kehd' her, "Whatever. If you guys have to then I guess we can stop for a while, but not too long. We should be able to walk some more before it starts to get dark."

Sango took Kagome by the hand and jogged over to the hot spring while yelling back, "Don't you even dare about _thinking_ about peeking at us while we bathe!" Sango and Kagome quickly charged into the hot spring and relaxed into the hot water.

Inuyasha and Miroku sat against a tree nearby the hot spring, but not too close, and waited patiently for the two girls to finish taking their bath. Inuyasha looked over at Miroku, "Hey, have you noticed anything strange about Kagome lately?"

Miroku looked up for a moment as he thought about Kagome, "Hmmm…she seems to be more in thought than usual, other than that, no. Why?"

Inuyasha closed his eyes; "She just seems a little distant sense her powers…you know, grew."

"Do you think that she is trying to hide her feelings from us? Maybe she does not want us to know something? Or perhaps it is that she still feels responsible for the death of the villagers?"

"But that's crazy! I told her a million times that it wasn't her damn fault. She wasn't even conscious during the whole thing!"

"But you know how Kagome is, Inuyasha. She does blame her self for their deaths and some part of her will never forgive killing anyone. She is a warrior and she does not even like to kill demons even though they kill people. Her heart is just to pure to actually hate anything."

"But that's ma point, Miroku. She's acting weird because of something and she won't tell me why no matter how many goddamn times I ask her."

"Just let her come to you, Inuyasha. Be patient. Perhaps she had some troubles in her own era when she went to visit her family last week. It could also be that her powers are still growing and she is in a bad mood. Remember what happened last time?"

Inuyasha shuddered at the memory and nodded, "Yeah, I do. She said so many 'sit' commands that I couldn't get up for a whole damn week."

"You do not want that to happen again, do you?"

Inuyasha quickly shook his head comically, "Nuhuh!"

"Then I suggest you let her be."

"Aaahhh," sighed Kagome contently, "this is sooo great. We really needed to relax for a little bit."

Sango smiled at Kagome, "I thought that you would like a break. You were looking a little spaced out earlier when we were walking, so I thought that you were tired."

Kagome sat up a little more, "Was I really spacing out?"

Sango nodded her head, "Yeah, it looked like you were waiting for someone to walk out of the forest brush or something."

Kagome let out a surprised 'heeh?' and sweat dropped.

"Are you okay, Kagome?" Sango asked with concern.

"Yeah, I am fine, Sango. I have just…been thinking a lot lately." A small blush crawled to her cheeks as an image of how close she was standing next to Sesshoumaru entered her mind. She lowered her head as an effort to make the image of the Taiyoukai go away and at the same time to try and cover her blush from Sango.

Sango noticed it anyway. "What are you thinking about?" she asked suspiciously and inched closer to Kagome.

"N-nothing, Sango." Kagome put her hands out in front of her.

"Then why are you blushing?"

"I am not blushing! I-It's just a little hot." Kagome kept on making excuses, she was not sure if she wanted Sango to know about Sesshoumaru's visit yet.

"You know I won't tell anyone your secret, right?"

"Of course I know, Sango…but nothing is wrong. Honestly."

Sango wrinkled her nose a little bit; "You are lying to me, Kagome. What is wrong?" Sango put her arm around Kagome's shoulders and gave her a small hug, just like an older sister would.

Kagome sighed, "It is nothing, Sango. I will tell you later, okay?"

Sango nodded her head slowly as she gave Kagome a light squeeze; "I will be there for you, Kagome. You can always count on me for anything."

Kagome smiled and hugged Sango back, "Thank you so much, Sango."

"No problem." Sango and Kagome sat there hugging each other for a little while before Sango spoke up, "We should get going, Inuyasha will throw a fit if we stay here any longer."

Kagome smiled and giggled lightly, "Yeah, you are right. Let's go."

Dozens of half-read books and scrolls lay scattered on top of a large black desk. An enraged and frustrated growl filled the room as a small book was hurled across the room and landed on top of the black desk to join the countless others.

"Damn it, every one of these say the exact same thing." Sesshoumaru looked at his book-covered desk and glared at them. "'A great tragedy will consume the pure heart of the great priestess and her soul will be consumed by darkness. Evil shall take control of the land and all will perish while the priestess slowly dies."' Sesshoumaru quoted the reached prophecy with bitterness.

'_The prophecy is clearly about my half-brother's wench, Kagome. She is the only pure priestess. If this prophecy comes true, then Naraku might never be destroyed. …The miko's incredible powers come from her emotions and her pureness. If her spirit is shattered, then she will no longer pose a threat to anyone.'_

Sesshoumaru took another book off of its place on the shelf and was about to flip through it' pages when he suddenly decided not to. If every other book he had read and examined all said the same thing, why should this book, or any other book for that matter, say any different? Sesshoumaru sighed and tossed the pearl colored book on the floor and then walked over to his large window that over saw part of his garden.

'_Why is that girl so different from any other mortal? What makes her so special? Why does the prophecy revolve around her?'_ There were so many questions that rung through his head about the young maiden. So many, in fact, that it was making his head hurt; he shook it off.

Sesshoumaru opened the door to his study and walked into the hallway; no one knew he was there…or so he thought. "Lord Sesshoumaru!" cried Rin happily as she clung to his leg tightly. "Why did you not come back to Rin last night? Rin thought you got lost."

Sesshoumaru gently pried the girl from his leg and ruffled her hair a little bit. "Go to bed, Rin. We are leaving tomorrow."

Rin's face lit up like a small Christmas tree; "You are taking Rin on another adventure?"

Sesshoumaru nodded at her words, "Yes, tomorrow. Now you need to rest."

Rin smiled again and turned to walk back u the hall the way she came while yelling, "Good night, Lord Sesshoumaru!"

Sesshoumaru turned around and headed towards his room, but then he turned back around and headed for the large door that led outside into his garden. He opened the door and stepped on fresh grass and stared into the setting sun, '_Kagome…why you? Of all the mortals in this planet…why you?'_

**Yaay! I got this up and done! LOL . I hope that this was at least a good-sized chapter. I mean it is eight pages long…at least that is what my computer said. XD If you want me to make them longer than go ahead and tell me so in your review or email me at K? **

**Oh! Before I forget…if you haven't watched Inuyasha the Movie3: Swords of an Honorable Ruler then I suggest that you do because I will have some scenes where it mentions some of the things that Kagome and Sesshoumaru went through in the movie. Just to let you know so that you don't freak out and be all 'OMG! What episode was that from?' LOL It's from that movie. I have it by the way Sarah…if you want to watch it. .**

**Owari!**


	4. A Mysterious Girl

I don't own Inuyasha! XD 

**SweetScentofRoses: **Thank you very much! lol Please enjoy this much worked on chapter!

**Call death today:** Yeah, thanks a lot.

**Butterfly heaven: **Glad you like them so much! . Thanks a lot for your review!

**Cutie in the hood: **Thank you very much! lol

**Mai: **Thank you sooo much! lol Please enjoy this chapter as well, k?

**PlayimgWithDemons:** Thank you, and I am glad that the brownies were good. LOL I almost burnt them! . Please keep those wonderful, helpful review coming!

Chapter 3: The Mysterious Child 

He opened the door and stepped on fresh grass and stared into the setting sun,_ 'Kagome…why you? Of all the mortals in this planet…why you?'

* * *

_The sun slowly began to set as Inuyasha and the gang sat down on the green grass to watch it sink into a green sea of grass in the distance. Sango smiled happily as she leaned against Miroku when he wrapped his arms around her waist.

The sun set was revealing to be a very romantic setting for the four traveling jewel hunters. Kagome looked over at Sango and smiled for them; she was happy that Sango and Miroku were finally together. Kagome looked on towards the sky, which was now painted a brilliant orange and yellow with a light set of pink and indigo thrown into the back ground, and thought about the recent events in her life.

Inuyasha sat next to Kagome and looked at the sun set for a small second before his eyes wondered to Kagome. For a short moment, Inuyasha could have sworn that he saw Kikyo sitting in Kagome's place, but the similarities between the two women in his life disappeared to simply reveal Kagome. He looked away from Kagome and back to the sun set as he resided into his own thoughts.

He loved Kagome that he knew for certain, but in which way he was not completely sure. After three years… he still could not figure it out. Inuyasha looked over his shoulder at Sango and Miroku and inwardly smiled at them. Kagome had been right about the two of them loving each other; Kagome had been right about a lot of things.

Inuyasha did not know what he would ever do without Kagome by his side. Too many people had been lost because of him, Kikyo, his mother, and his father…he would not let Kagome suffer their same fate. Besides Miroku and Sango, Kagome was all he had. He blinked quickly as he felt something shift beside him and he suddenly felt a little cold.

Inuyasha looked over at his side and noticed that Kagome was no longer sitting down next to him. She was now standing up beside him and smiling lightly. Inuyasha smiled back a little, "What's up? Where'd Sango and Miroku run off to?"

Kagome looked over at a small campfire in a clearing; "They went to sleep. The two of us lost track of time. We started to watch the sun set together but somehow we ended up day dreaming or thinking about something. The sun is gone; the moon replaced it," Kagome looked from Inuyasha to the shining stars distantly.

Inuyasha stared into Kagome's eyes as he put his hand on her shoulder; "Do ya want to talk for a while?"

"Heh? Err…why? Is there something wrong, Inuyasha?"

Inuyasha shook his head slowly, "Nah, I just thought that you would want to talk for a bit. You've been acting weird lately, Kagome."

Kagome smiled, "You were worried about me?"

"Eehh… " Inuyasha blushed slightly and turned away from Kagome, "I'm always worried about you, Kagome. I don't want to loose you."

Kagome's smile grew, "I will never leave you alone, Inuyasha. I am really okay though, nothing is wrong with me, honestly."

Inuyasha sighed in reply and turned around to start walking back to the camp Sango and Miroku had made. "Well then, if you're fine then we better go and get some sleep. We didn't cover as much ground as I wanted us to today. We need to make up for it tomorrow."

Kagome nodded, "Okay," she answered as she followed Inuyasha to their camp to at least try to get some sleep for tomorrow. Kagome somehow knew that she would not be relieved of the constant dreams and nightmares that came every night the moment that she closed her greenish- brown orbs.

* * *

The great Taiyoukai of the West stared at the half- full moon that hovered just outside his enormous garden that looked more like a small forest. The mystic light of the moon bathed the different plants and flowers with a strange aura of peace as they swayed side to side with the constant light breeze.

Sesshoumaru had come outside to clear his mind of all the thoughts that were running wild. He sat down on a rich black bench next to a small lake and stared into the motionless water.

He blinked when he saw an image of a young girl appear in the water. He turned around to face the girl but he was surprised when there was no one there. When looked back at the lake, the young girl's face was still there staring back at him. '_What in the seven hells? Why can I only see the girl's reflection?'_

The young girl had large, brilliant amber eyes that shone brightly. She had a round face and looked to be no more than six or seven years old. Her hair was ebony black with silver highlights. Sesshoumaru raised and eyebrow when the girl giggled. He was slightly stunned when the girl emerged from the water to stand in front of him. It was strange, she emerged from the water but she was not wet. She continued to smile and giggle as she looked up at Sesshoumaru.

"What are you? You are not human…but you are not entirely a demon, are you?" Sesshoumaru could not explain why but he did not feel threatened by the strange girl before him. The young girl propped her head to the side at his question, " I am no human. I am a demon though." The girl smiled after she answered his question and giggled some more as she twirled and walked around Sesshoumaru on a playful matter.

She seemed to be happy to see Sesshoumaru but Sesshoumaru could not remember ever meeting this girl before in his life. '_So she is a demon, but where did she come from? And why is it that I have this strange feeling of recognition when I look at her?'_ Sesshoumaru watched her with much interest for a few moments before he spoke to her again.

"Who are you?" he asked in his monotone voice.

At his question, the girl sat down in front of his feet and played with the grass, "Hmmm? I cannot say. Well, more like I am forbidden to say. It could jeopardize the future." She ripped more grass from the ground.

'_So then…she is from the future? How ridiculous! She is clearly lying. Hmmm…but then again, the miko is also from the future.'_

Sesshoumaru thought for a moment, "Why are you here?"

The girl smiled at him; "I am here… to help you. If you do not do something to stop that prophesy from coming true…then I will never come to exist."

'_I was correct. She is from the future.' _"So you do not exist in this world yet, do you?"

She shook her head, "Nuh-uh. Not yet. Well, not for a long while, actually. You can say that mom's future husband is very…stubborn. It actually took quite a while for the two of them to get together."

Sesshoumaru fell silent as he stared at the girl again. His eyes narrowed as he replayed her giggles and laughter, as well as her voice, in his head. The way the young girl spoke reminded him of the way…Kagome spoke. '_So then this…this is…'_

With the emotion of surprise and recognition slipping through the Taiyoukai's façade, the girl smiled and nodded, "Hey, you figured it out! I did not expect anything less from the great Sesshoumaru though."

"You mean that the miko, Kagome, is your…mother?"

"Mmm-hmm!" The girl smiled up at Sesshoumaru with fondness and…some other emotion that Sesshoumaru could not put his finger on.

Sesshoumaru looked at the girl cautiously, that look on her face was the same look that Rin would give him right before she would hug him, this girl was not going to hug him…was she? Sesshoumaru decided to try and avoid the hug, "Then who is your father?"

The girl looked up at him for a moment as she stood up from the ground, "I cannot tell you. I am sorry."

Sesshoumaru decided to test her on her word, "Is your father Inuyasha?"

"I cannot tell you, Sesshoumaru." The girl did not look upset; it was more like she had expected him to ask her about her father. It was hard for her not to just blurt out warnings and tell him about his future. He did mean a lot to her after all…

Sesshoumaru was slightly pleased, the girl had a strong sense of honor. When she said something, she meant it; the girl would not lie. He could tell she was strong despite her young age, how she could be so strong and so gentle at the same time was puzzling. "You tell no lies do you?"

"Of course I do not. My mother says that lies are bad because they get you into a lot of trouble. She made me promise not to lie just because I could."

"…Why are you here with me instead of with her?"

"…I… thought you should know a little more about this situation. You seemed to be beating your head against those books for an answer or a way to stop that prophecy-"

Sesshoumaru interrupted her in mid-sentence, "What makes you think that I want to _stop_ that prophecy from coming to be?"

"Do you even _believe_ what you just said, Sesshoumaru? You have the power to change it; you just have to _want_ to change it. I would not have bothered to come to help you with this if I did not believe that you could help my mother get through the hell she is going to be put through. You can help her survive through that hell and help place her back on her destiny."

Sesshoumaru felt tempted to reach out to the girl as she began to fade away, but he remained standing still as he watched her disappear into thin air. A light breeze swayed his hair over his shoulder and he turned to stare at the calm surface of the water again.

Sesshoumaru opened his eyes slowly to see the rich black bench in front of him. He was sitting on the grass and leaning against a large tree. Sesshoumaru did not remember falling asleep nor sitting down on the grass. He stood up off of the ground and turned his head towards the small lake to look at the water.

'_It was merely a dream. The girl… why did she seem so real? Why do I have this strange feeling that I know her? Almost as if…as if she was a part of that I helped make?'_ Sesshoumaru turned his head to look up at the half- full moon and then walked back inside his castle for the rest of the night.

* * *

Kagome gazed at the half full moon intently as she swayed her feet in the water while the peaceful sound of the waterfall filled her ears. Everything was silent and calm, nothing but the sound of the waterfall and the small crickets chirping loudly could be heard. She was peaceful, she had not been given the joy of experiencing that feeling of peacefulness all month long and she was extremely grateful to be able to feel like that in her time of need.

Kagome had no clue as to why she felt so peaceful, but at the moment, she could care less. She wanted to enjoy the peace that she had been temporarily granted to her this night for as long as she was able to. She did her best to push all the thoughts and concerns in her mind away and just enjoy the silence.

She looked down at her side to stare at the grass that slightly tickled the palm of her right hand but smiled happily when hey eyes found a beautiful blood red rose half hidden in the tall grass. She carefully plucked the rose from its place in the grass and brought it to her nose to inhale its delicate fragrance.

'_I wish that every day that I spend here in the Feudal Era would all e as peaceful as it is here, without the worries of restoring the Shikon no Tama to its original form and destroying Naraku. I just want to live out a peaceful life. Well, I guess that will never happen though, now will it?'_

Kagome twirled the rose's stem in between her thumb and index finger slowly as she gazed at the rich texture of the rose's color. "I have never seen a rose so red before," she said as she brought it a little closer to examine it a little more thoroughly.

"It is beautiful, is it not?" asked a cheerful and young voice.

"Yes, it is very lovely. I have never had the pleasure of seeing such a red rose," she replied as she turned around slowly to stare at a young girl with ebony hair and silver highlights. The young girl was a beauty, "Ummm…who are you?"

"Oh, me?" the girl looked a little surprised that Kagome did not recognize her, but then she smiled as she reminded her self that Kagome really does not now her yet. "I am just someone…who wishes to lend her assistance and advice to help you with your fragile situation."

Kagome propped her head to the side slightly, "My…fragile situation? I am sorry, but…what are you talking about?" Kagome pretended not to know of the situation the girl spoke of.

'_Okay…how does she know that I have a problem? Who is this girl? And…what is this weird feeling I have when I look into her eyes?'_

The girl sighed, '_It is just like Mother to pretend that nothing is wrong with her. Guess she is the same way no matter what era she happens to be in. I wonder if I am going to just like her when I get older?'_

The young girl looked at Kagome a little serious as she spoke. "You are frustrated all the time, you have dreams and horrible nightmares every night, and you have this strange feeling that something big in your life is going to happen, but you have no idea what it could possibly be. Is it not all true?"

Kagome looked at her quizzically as she rose to her feet and slowly walked over to the young girl and knelt down so that she was eye level with her. Kagome stared at her for a long moment before she nodded her head, "Yeah... that is true. How did you know that?"

The girl smiled in triumph as she smiled at Kagome and then shook her head, "I am unable to tell you I know all of this Lady Kagome…but I can help you get through everything that you will have to confront sooner or later."

Kagome inwardly sighed at the girl's answer. She understood that the girl had her secrets and would no be able some of her answers, but it was still a little weird to hear a young girl like her … talk the way she did. Sometimes she answered her questions, but other times it seems that she would just say something else to confuse her.

'_She seems highly educated and even talked a little like…nah! There's no way that a sweet soul like hers could have any connection with him.'_

Kagome smiled and gazed into the girl's eyes, "You have very gorgeous eyes, you know? They are amber colored, sorta like Inuyasha's, but…they are a little different."

The girl smiled, pleased that Kagome had noticed the difference between her eyes and Inuyasha's. "Of course they are different. They are different than his because they…"

The girl stopped talking and shook her head slightly, "That is beside the point. You need to be strong, Kagome, you need to be brave and confront your nightmares and obstacles with courage and confidence. I know that you have already been through a lot Kagome, and you do not wish to go through a power increase again…but in the near future…you will need to."

"Are you telling me that things are just going to get a lot worse from now on?" Kagome looked deeper into the girl's amber colored eyes with a serious expression on her face.

The young girl paused for a few seconds before she answered Kagome's question, "…Yes," she said as she nodded her head. "However, all will turn out right in the end if _you_ want it to Lady Kagome, you will always be in command of your won destiny. Nothing is set in stone. Everything can change in a mere moment. You just have to _want_ to change it."

"…You sound like you are from the future. Do you know what is going to happen to me? What will happen?"

The girl shook her head, "No. In my time, I do know what happened to you and all of the people that you care about, but in this era…I cannot tell you what will truly happen. I do know that the events that will take place will change your life forever, Kagome."

"So then…what should I do?"

"Just be on your guard. That is the only thing that you can do." The young girl faded away slowly and Kagome found herself reaching to hold her.

"Please wait, do not go yet." As Kagome's hand touched the girl's disappearing arm, the girl reappeared before her.

The young girl looked down at Kagome with surprise; "H-how did you do that?"

Kagome looked at her own hand and then at the girl. "I-I do not know." After a long silence Kagome decided to speak again, "Listen, why do I feel like I know you?"

"Because you do know me, Lady Kagome. I will eventually be a part of your future. If you want me to be that is."

"Of course I want you to be a part of my future. You mean you will become one of my friends in the future?"

The girl inwardly frowned; she could not tell Kagome that she was her future daughter. She desperately wanted to though. "Something like that. I am sorry, but I must go. I have stayed far longer than I should have."

"Wait, can I at least have your name?"

The girl hesitated for a moment before she answered. "Luna, my name is Luna."

"Luna…it was a pleasure talking with you, Luna."

Luna gave Kagome a big smile; "It was a pleasure seeing you again too, Lady Kagome. I have to leave now, I have stayed longer than I should have." Luna walked over to Kagome and placed a small kiss on the left side of her cheek.

Kagome smiled at Luna and nodded, "'Kay, see you when I see you then…Luna."


End file.
